Company introduces next-gen data application to track flow of recyclable mixed plastics, paper, metals, and other scrap through the recycling value chain
AMP Robotics Corp. (“AMP”), a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and infrastructure for the waste and recycling industry, has introduced an AI-powered material characterization software solution that enables the recognition and classification of recyclables that flow through different recovery stages of the recycling process. This latest industry innovation serves as a breakthrough in the effort toward providing measurable transparency on the recyclables captured and missed during different recycling processes, as well as confirming the composition of recovered material bales destined for resale to end markets in the supply chain.
“Data transparency in the recycling industry has been a longstanding challenge due to the complexity of mixed material streams, compounded by ongoing changes in consumer packaging. These obstacles often create impediments to accurate data collection and prevent a clear understanding of what goes into and comes out of the different infrastructure stages that support recycling,” said Matanya Horowitz, founder and CEO of AMP Robotics. “Our material characterization software digitizes the real-time flow of recyclables with precision and consistency, providing opportunities to identify gaps in material capture, transparency on what recyclables are and are not recycled, and a basis for standardized measurement vital to improve our national recycling system.”
AMP’s new software, AMP Clarity™, captures data on mixed plastics like PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, and PS; aluminum recyclables like used beverage cans (UBCs); and fiber, such as corrugated cardboard (OCC) and sorted residential paper and newsprint (SRPN). Material data is collected, classified, and sub-classified so materials recovery facilities (MRFs) can see what recyclables are flowing through different stages of their operation. This monitoring can help prevent the loss of recyclables to landfill, diagnose gaps in processing efficiency, audit the composition of material streams, and create certainty about final bale content and material quality for both buyers and sellers.
“Over the last year, our team has worked hard on product development, testing, and delivery of AMP Clarity. We partnered with an initial group of our customers to beta test our solution in the field, and the response was very positive,” said Jeff Loebbaka, chief commercial officer of AMP Robotics. “Our customers see Clarity as a valuable means to prevent value lost to landfill and improve operational performance. Higher capture rates result in increased revenue, reduced disposal costs, and efficiency gains that further lower operational expenses. Our customers are also using Clarity’s material characterization capabilities to establish confidence in the final material quality of their bales sold to plastics reclaimers, paper mills, and aluminum manufacturers. Based on feedback we’ve received, Clarity can play a critical role in bridging industry standards for bale certification.”
AMP Clarity is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution available via an online web portal that can be accessed through desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. Clarity is made possible through AMP’s portfolio of hardware systems including the AMP Cortex™ robotic sorting system and the company’s newly released AMP Vision™ system. The AMP Vision system is a standalone modular enclosure that can be dropped into a facility’s existing operation for specific data collection from residual, quality control, container, paper, and audit lines. For example, Clarity can serve as a QC application for other processing equipment like optical sorters or eddy currents to identify the recyclables that may have slipped by for capture later in the operation. Clarity could also be placed before the final material quality processing stage to identify contaminants before plastics, aluminum, or paper are baled for resale.
“The integration of AMP Vision and AMP Clarity provides opportunities for consumer packaged goods companies, retailers, and packaging manufacturers to understand the flow and recovery of their specific containers and packaging,” said Chris Wirth, vice president of business development and government affairs for AMP Robotics. “Our technology can help producer initiatives to increase recycling rates and create new value streams for recyclables, ultimately aiding their pursuit of recycled content goals. Data collection, measurement, and material characterization for recycling also create a mechanism to support federal, state, and local government programs focused on landfill diversion goals and recycled content standards to advance a more circular economy.”
Earlier this month, AMP announced a new deployment of AI-guided robotic sorting systems with Evergreen, one of the nation’s largest recyclers of PET bottles. This installation marked AMP’s continued expansion of its technology with plastics reclaimers, the buyers of recovered plastics from MRFs. AMP’s technology identifies and sorts green and clear PET from post-consumer bales of plastic soft drink bottles, which Evergreen recycles into reusable flakes or pellets (rPET) and sells to end markets as feedstock for new containers and packaging.
AMP has also introduced automated secondary sorting facilities, which apply advanced automation enabled by AI to economically sort through low volumes of residue to recover mixed plastics. These material streams also contain high-value recyclables like UBCs and OCC that are in high demand for resale to aluminum manufacturers and paper mills. AMP’s secondary facilities drive down the cost of recovery while creating contamination-free, high-quality bales of recycled material for resale. AMP’s business model also introduces market certainty and new revenue streams for established MRFs by creating demand for residue that would otherwise cost businesses to dispose of.
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